Colin Kaepernick’s Response to His Critics Is the Correct One

It’s usually a poor decision for a player to lash out at fans and critics, especially when said player has been playing horribly, and this season San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been awful. In the 49ers’ last two games Kap has completed only 22-of-44 passes for 227 yards, with no touchdowns and four interceptions, two of which were pick-sixes. For the season he has thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions, with three fumbles, and his total QBR of 38.6 ranks 27^th in the NFL. Based on those numbers and his play, it is understandable that there has been a lot of unrest amongst the fans of the 49ers.

So when I heard that Kaepernick had responded to critics, I thought “uh oh.” But then I read that he said the following, and I think Colin Kaepernick’s response to his critics is the correct one.

“I don’t play for job security,” Kaepernick said Wednesday. “Whether football is here or not, I will be fine. I go out; I play to win. I’m not worried about job security when I step in this building.”

I’m not a fan of the 49ers, but those who are should love this attitude coming from their team’s starting quarterback. No one on an NFL roster should be out there playing for job security. Everyone in the league should be out there playing to win. Kap and every other player in the NFL should head to each practice or game with the mentality that they want to play to win. No one should be trying to simply not lose their job. They should be trying to add value to their team and help their team win games. If a player does that, and he plays well, the job security will take care of itself.

Don’t get me wrong – Kap has looked horrible this season, and he needs to drastically improve his play. Even when he was helping lead the 49ers to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance, I thought he was overrated, and I don’t know if he will be able to turn it around now that it seems like opposing defenses have figured him out. But Kap having a fearless attitude is a good place to begin if he wants to start helping his team win games again.

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